Gone to the great gig in the sky who have gained a terrific singer with amazing presence considering all she ever did really was stand still and sing, with the occasional smile. The carnival is over.
Judith Durham
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Loved Morningtown Ride. My mum used to sing it to me as a lullaby when I was small.
That one used to make me feel sad, when I was little…
You’re right @fitterstoke
It just does.
Also, Petula Clark’s ‘Downtown’. Can’t listen. Just over-poweringly sad.
And, ‘Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep’. “Where’s your Mama gone? Far, far away …” Just devastatingly sad.
It’s always sad when someone goes somewhere. Reminds me of ‘Airport’ by The Motors, which can’t be listened to without a sturdy handkerchief at the ready:
Airport, airport
You’ve got a smiling face
You took the one I love so far away
Fly her away! Fly her away!
Why, Gar – *snurfle*! – that’s just … beautiul ! I love the image of the airport smiling to hide its sorrow! Buildings have feelings too! Let’s listen to David Bowie:
“My brain hurt like a warehouse …”
It’s hard to imagine a warehouse in pain, yet Our National Treasure makes its suffering all too palpable!
So sad.😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Beautiful voice. Pure and clear.
That clip is strangely moving.
(Cue: KFD posting an anal love bead string of Durham-related YouTube clips including the Kurdish Orphan Orchestra performing Roger Whittaker’s classic on Ondes Martenot.)
Went to find a clip of Georgy Girl and came across this footage of a live concert in Melbourne. Look at the size of the crowd!
Over 200,000 people – in the sixties. I remember the dorky family across the road even going.
As I mentioned on the obit thread she was a jazz singer originally and returned to that genre before doing a lot of Christian albums.
Here is one of the Seekers’ big hits.
There’s an obit thread?
That girl could really sing.
Here’s the story of that song:
On reflection, I rate her voice with Sandy Denny. Purer probably but a bit less swing.
It’s a shame she was backed by the world’s unhippest band. I mean, even for Australia, these guys were strictly from squaresville.
Athol Guy, the bass player, was also a Liberal Party Senator in Australia during the 70s, so yep, none more square.
He is one of only three people I’ve heard of called Athol, the other two being a local mechanic here in Brisbane, and my late father. All were born in Australia within a few years of each other (’36-40). I tried several times, unsuccessfully, to get my grandmother to come clean about the origin.
I think there’s a Scottish sports commentator (usually swimming, as I recall) called Athol Still. Cool name.
Then there’s Atholl Brose…
Atholl Ettick – Olympic bronzo
Athol Fugard, South African playwright. Also the Duchess of Atholl, legendary Red Duchess and Hornby Double railway engine.
*Dublo*
You’ve lived in Oz too long.
Liberal Party in Oz = Tory in UK.
Thanks for clearing that up Junes, was a little confused!
My Grandfather was called Athol actually. He was a dude, ran away to join the navy when he was 15 and he was in the battle of Jutland according to family legend.
The Vicar of Amble was called Athol Simpson. 70s-90s, I think.
Ok. Anyone not called Athol?
Broken hearts are for Athols.
Take care Moosey as The Duke of Atholl commands the only legal private army in Europe, the Atholl Highlanders. I wouldn’t want him to come and ‘visit’ you.
I’m not worried. Those fellows are stupefied by porage and jazz.
Pablo Picasso never got called an Athol.
My father spent the last half century of his life working closely with Aboriginal people, all of whom pronounced his name “Ass-hol”, much to the merriment of myself and my brother.
Funny you should say that. After Junior’s comment I’ve been pondering how she would have done as a Fairport, or a Steeleye come to that.
I’ve been picturing her as Stacia’s replacement in Hawkwind.
Cuh, Stacia didn’t sing.
*facepalm*
I recall seeing her with my late wife at the local city hall when they reformed in the 1990s i think- a lovely joyful evening. As HP said above, watching these clips is strangely moving, perhaps because of the memories they evoke of simpler times and people now long gone.
God, how me and my oh so snooty gang hated the New Seekers! If bloody Val Doonican and bloody Roger Whittaker weren’t bad enough we were forced to listen to this Mom & Pop stuff whilst waiting for “real” musicians to appear next on TOTP.
We might have been Wrong
I secretly liked the songs, and found Ms. Durham secretly … attractive. But the tall geek on bull fiddle (who thinks he’s it) deserved to be buried in it.
EDIT On reading my comment, I feel I’m a little overly harsh in my critique. They seem like a thoroughly deent bunch of coves, including the tall geek on bull fiddle.
You’re still wrong, Lodey, because we’re talking about the Seekers here.
But yes, the New Seekers were shit.
Oh, they had their moments too. Great harmonies, and some fine songs. I had/have a bit of a pash on Eve Graham.
That’s how much we hated them, we even got their name Wrong!
We were into, like, Bobby Hendrix and The Beetles and Jefferson Sopworth Camel
Lightning Tree! chooooon
(That was The Settlers.)
Settlers – absolute mainstay of OTC antacids, before the advent of the mighty H2 blockers…
So it was! Well remembered. I’ve got the 7inch single here somewhere – I should have checked. I was in love with Dora.
I had a bit of a pash for Lyn Paul but Judith is just lovely.
Bruce Woodley wrote I Still Call Australia Home a de facto national anthem.
Keith Potger actually interviewed me. Came across as smarmy. It was on share investing for retail investors. He clearly had no idea what the questions he was asking were about.
On the news tonight. Must have known she was dying as all “the boys” were in touch either in person or by phone – Potger didnt make it from nsw in time. Sharing the good times.
She had a lot of bad luck and ill health after she quit the group. She was into some sort of spiritualism. Hope it paid off for her.
Obviously not as squaresville as we’d feared – anyone who knows anything about share investing for retail investors fits that bill, but if he was clueless about the dullsville subject, he was clearly just winging it. Dude.
Also, if Junes came across as smarmy he certainly wasn’t doing his job.
Squaresville ? Exchange traded funds – alpha v beta risk, yield v growth. Diversified portfolios – can you not say that these are seriously funky topics?
Sounds exciting to me.
https://giphy.com/gifs/tumbleweed-landscape-5x89XRx3sBZFC
Only just discovered that her real name was Judith Mavis Cock…I wonder why she bothered to change it?
Quite right – Mavis Cock would have looked great in lights.
My father fancied her. Which was quite creepy enough for me, thank you. Hell, he must have been 50 odd, which was disgusting.
You’re right, being 50-odd is disgusting (says an already disgusting 48 year old)
Here’s a rare clip. Ms Cock doing Summertime backed by veteran Aussie band Spectrum.